Researcher
Eran Agmon is a research scientist at YHouse, and a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Department of Biological Sciences. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Informatics and Computing and the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University. His primary research interest is in the biological foundation of agency, and he approaches this interest by developing computational models of whole organisms from the bottom up, starting with the transition from chemistry to protocellular life.
Background
• Origins of Life
• Complex Systems
• Computational Chemistry/Biology
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
Research
Eran’s current research is in the organization and dynamics of whole organisms and their environments. He builds computational models of minimal cells, called protocells. Cells are the fundamental units of life—integrated wholes whose operation stabilizes themselves as individual entities. Eran studies their precariousness: how cells deteriorate and die in certain situations, yet repair themselves and remain viable when conditions are favorable. Developing successful simulations of cells is only half of the process, and theoretical understanding comes from the analysis of these models. To accomplish this, he employ analytical techniques of complex systems science, which include network theory, dynamical systems theory, and information theory.
Contact
Email
Home Institution
Columbia University